February 2007

Calendar

> Bird Hike, EcoLab
2/22/2007, 8 a.m.
St. Francis Colonnade

> Bird Hike, EcoLab
2/24/2007, 8 a.m.
St. Francis Colonnade

> Volunteer Conservation Work Day
2/24/2007, 9 a.m.
St. Francis Colonnade

> Evening Bird Hike, EcoLab
2/24/2007, 6 p.m.
St. Francis Colonnade

> Bird Hike, EcoLab
3/1/2007, 8 a.m.
St. Francis Colonnade

> Bird Hike, EcoLab
3/3/2007, 8 a.m.
St. Francis Colonnade

> Bird Hike, EcoLab
3/8/2007, 8 a.m.
St. Francis Colonnade

> Bird Hike, EcoLab
3/10/2007, 8 a.m.
St. Francis Colonnade

View the monthly EcoLab calendar

Visiting Schools

St. Thomas Aquinas
27 students
Class: Native/Non-Native Species
Service Project: Seed Sowing

St. Phillip Neri
36 students
Class: Wetlands
Service Project: Seed Sowing

Bird Sightings

Eastern Wood-Peewee 11/02/.2006

Cooper’s Hawk 1/25/2007

Wilson’s Snipe 2/10/2007

Under Construction

With the cold weather, beaver channels like this are frozen and the beaver are spending more time in the lodge or the larger ponds.

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:: Note from the Director
It was certainly fun this past month to hear from a lot of you! Many of you who receive this newsletter have been part of the development of the EcoLab. Your impact is greatly appreciated. And, those of you who haven't had the opportunity to be part of the project yet, we look forward to seeing you in the future. Volunteer service is really at the heart of the overall EcoLab project, not just because of what that service does for the EcoLab, but more importantly, because of what it does for the volunteer. We believe that what you do affects who you are. The more people we can get involved in environmental stewardship projects in the EcoLab, the more people will become good environmental stewards outside of the EcoLab as well. That's the point.

An easy way to get involved is to join us at a Volunteer Conservation Work Day on third Saturday of every month (February has been postponed to the fourth Saturday due to weather). Our next is Saturday, February 24, at 9 a.m. at the St. Francis Colonnade at the north end of the Marian College campus. It's a fun opportunity to engage in the environmental restoration of the EcoLab property. See http://wetland.marian.edu for more information on our Volunteer Conservation Work Days.

Dr. David Benson, Marian College EcoLab director

:: Natural History
It’s six below zero wind chill and Dave Bauman is outside cutting honeysuckle. "My hands get cold first, but as long as I am keeping my hands moving I’m OK." Bauman has recently been working on removing the honeysuckle along the Rustic Trail. "The Rustic is my favorite trail, so it’s always fun to work on it." Read the complete story.

:: Cultural History
Have you had a chance to read the text along our interpretive trail? It's a wonderful insight into both the cultural and natural history of the EcoLab and Riverdale estate and is sometimes even more revealing in the winter. For example, near the spring house along the South Shore Trail, there is a sign that describes the "long view" that was often designed into a Jens Jensen landscape. He felt this design feature drew people into a landscape and made them want to explore. The "long views" that Jensen designed into the Riverdale estate are actually easier to see in the winter with the leaves off the trees. Pick up a trail map at a trailhead or download one from the web site and check it out for yourself. For more information on the Riverdale estate, see http://riverdale.marian.edu.

:: Environmental Education
Marian College's science camps, Life Science Education Center, School of Education, and the EcoLab were well represented at this year's Hoosier Association of Science Teachers, Inc. (HASTI) convention. Perhaps you saw us there and signed up to win an EcoLab T-shirt or a free field trip for your class! If you did, you may have met Michelle Priddy, our newest educator for the Life Science Education Center. She has a master of science degree in environmental education and will be leading field trips in the EcoLab in the spring (see "Life Science Education Center" below). Check out the EcoLab web site for information about field trips and to sign-up online.

:: Volunteer News
Ecological Restoration

This January, volunteers worked primarily in the “honeysuckle forest” north of the North Loop Trail. A large swath of honeysuckle has been removed from this area and work will continue throughout the remainder of the winter. With any luck, when spring arrives, some of the native wildflowers that have been suppressed for years in this area will be released from the “honeysuckle-umbrella” to show their color.

Friends of Riverdale

The Friends of Riverdale, the EcoLab, and the Amos W. Butler Audubon Society are hosting an evening Owl Prowl on February 24, 2007 at 6 p.m. We'll be searching the Riverdale estate and EcoLab for Eastern Screech-Owls and Great Horned Owls, and, if the weather is mild, we may even find displaying American Woodcock. Be sure to bring a flashlight. Meet James Cole at the St. Francis Colonnade.

The Friends also are looking for volunteers to help with spring planting and maintenance of the gardens as they are restored. For more information, contact Deb Lawrence at 317.955.6208 or dlawrence@marian.edu.

Citizen Science

Bird-watching and data collection during the EcoLab weekly avian surveys proved to be very rewarding pursuits throughout the fall season of 2006. Southbound migration peaks in September for many bird species, and participants were rewarded with bird abundance and diversity that would please even the most recalcitrant observers. Views of such colorful neotropical birds as Blue-headed Vireos, Magnolia Warblers, and American Redstarts were commonplace during fall's evanescent feathered pageant.

The EcoLab also provided a significant milestone for Indiana ornithology this past autumn. On November 2, 2006, our survey team spotted and identified a single Eastern Wood-Pewee on the property. This sighting represents the latest documented record of this species in Indiana. Typically, the Eastern Wood-Pewee departs central Indiana for the tropics by late September.

If you'd like to assist in this ongoing research effort, weekly surveys/hikes are conducted on Thursdays and Saturdays at 8 a.m., or you can contact James Cole, Indiana's Important Bird Areas coordinator, more information.

:: News from our Partners
Life Science Education Center at Marian College

The Life Science Education Center at Marian College (LSEC), formerly Hook's Discovery and Learning Center, recently hired Michelle Priddy as a science educator for the center. Michelle is a recent graduate of the masters program in environmental education at Purdue University. She has lots of outdoor education experience, especially in wetlands, and will become an integral part of the EcoLab K-12 programming. Michelle will also work with Jake Klinger to provide science programming for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, provide video conference classes on various topics, and even bring after school or in-school field trips to area schools. Welcome, Michelle! For more information about LSEC, check out our web site at www.lifescienceed.org.

Amos W. Butler Audubon Society

Sixty-five participants at raptor ID workshop!

On January 27, 2007, Jim and Susan Hengeveld, professors from Indiana University, led a raptor identification workshop at Marian College for the Amos W. Butler Audubon Society (AWBAS), an EcoLab partner. The Hengevelds gave a detailed overview of basic raptor biology, then went through identification techniques for each of the common raptors found in Indiana. A Red-tailed Hawk was sighted on the bird walk in the EcoLab led by James Cole, Important Bird Areas coordinator for Indiana, that preceded the workshop. Bird walks in the EcoLab are led every Thursday and Saturday at 8 a.m. starting at the St. Francis Colonnade.

Dr. Mark La Salle, manager of National Audubon’s Gulf Coast Project will be presenting a talk entitled “Impacts of Hurricane Katrina on Birds and Other Wildlife” at the AWBAS annual banquet, March 24, 2007, at Allison Mansion on the campus of Marian College. See http://www.amosbutleraudubon.org for more details and to purchase tickets.